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Facebook Video Marketing: Why You Need It And How To Do It Well

Joe Palko serves as VP of Public Relations for the international web development company, Americaneagle.com, based in Des Plaines, IL.

Advertising has always been visual, but when you augment this visual impact using video marketing, the effect is even greater. With so many people today living fast-paced lifestyles, it's essential to get your message across using carefully chosen text coupled with powerful moving images. When you combine the power of video marketing with the popularity of
Facebook, your business will go through the roof.

As the VP of Public Relations at Americaneagle.com, I have personally experienced how effective Facebook video marketing can be. We believe in producing videos to market our company, so we have quite a large repository of these videos. To fully take advantage of the power of Facebook video marketing, understand why it's so effective and how to create your own successful marketing videos.

Consider these five reasons why you should start utilizing Facebook video marketing now:

Greater Exposure

Millions of people around the world are on Facebook daily; a quick survey of your office or group of friends on their Facebook habits will confirm this. Get your business under the noses of people from every corner of the globe for increased exposure and potential for more referrals.

Social Connectivity

Facebook is considered one of the strongest and most popular social media platforms today. And it just keeps growing! This is why you should ride the wave and use it for your own benefit. Keep in touch with prospective and existing customers, provide better customer service, build rapport and get to know your target audience.

Potential For Virality

When you post a video on Facebook, especially one that caters to a specific group of people and evokes a particular emotion, it has the potential to go viral. If people like it, it's so easy to share with friends and expose it to networks you may not currently be reaching.

Did you know that Facebook videos are also easily searchable on
Google? Just like YouTube videos, they appear on search engine results pages. Thus, these two powerful platforms are combined when using Facebook video marketing.

Easier Conversions

Social media has been proven effective not just in increasing traffic to your website, but also in boosting your conversion rate. When you post amazing, effective videos on your Facebook page, you'll be able to convince more of your audience to purchase your service or product.

If you don't start using Facebook video marketing today, your business will get left behind. So start with the tips below, especially if you're a beginner, to create a powerful Facebook video.

Use Compelling Visuals To Engage Users Fast

You might have noticed that Facebook videos play automatically, but they don't have audio until a user activates it by clicking on the video. This is why it's so important for you to use catchy, compelling visuals that will capture the interest of your target audience, even without sound.

Create Different Videos For Specific Purposes

Social media and video marketing experts recommend producing different videos that have distinct purposes. If you want your audience to sign up for your newsletter at the end of the video, then create a video with that goal in mind. If you want to promote a new service, then focus on that service in another video. You can easily direct viewers to an action by using a focused video. A single video that tries to tackle multiple purposes feels unfocused and isn't as convincing.

Plan Videos According To Audience

It's also good to create specific videos for varying target audiences. Let's say you have some products that cater to the elderly, and you also have some that are more suitable for children. If you generalize your video to address both audiences, you'll end up making less of an impact. You should remember never to treat videos as "one size fits all." This is where Facebook Custom Audiences comes into play.

Also, avoid going too heavy on the "sales talk." Instead, make videos that a particular audience can relate to and that focus on topics of interest to that audience. You can even check out Facebook Audience Insights to help you pinpoint demographics and interests.

Make Sure to Keep Your Videos Short And Sweet

Another thing you ought to consider is the length of each video. Apart from the fact that Facebook only allows up to 20-minute videos, long ones are often ignored or not finished by viewers. What's the use of having an amazing video that runs for 20 minutes, but is not watched by many, compared to a 30-second one that catches viewers' attention and leaves them curious and wanting more? The shorter and more concise the video, the better and more effective it will be.

Optimize Your Marketing Videos Through A/B Testing

If you have been doing online marketing for a while now, you have probably already heard of A/B testing. This is often employed to measure which of your ads brings better results and actually fulfills your purpose. Take note that an A/B test only compares two ads or videos with one variable. It is therefore different from split testing, which involves more than one ad or video.

With these simple tips, your business marketing strategies can go a long way. Don't underestimate the power of Facebook and video marketing: blend them together for a greater impact and standout results.

Forbes Communications Council is an invitation-only, fee-based organization for senior-level communications and public relations executives. Find out if you qualify at forbescommcouncil.com/qualify